One mans obscenity is another mans bedtime reading. (Geoffrey Essay

One mans obscenity is another mans bedtime reading. (Geoffrey RobertsonConsider whether the UK law of obscenity should be abolished or reformed in relation to literature or film - Essay Example may â€Å"tend to deprave or corrupt persons who are likely, having regard to all the relevant circumstances, to read, see or hear the matter contained or embodied in it.† This definition has been derived from the case of R v Hicklin2 where the Plaintiff Henry Scott was charged for publishing an offensive, anti-Catholic booklet. The decision of the trial Court finding Hicklin guilty was reversed by the higher Court who upheld Hicklin’s argument that the intent behind the publication of the booklet was not to corrupt and deprave. This decision was however reversed by the Queen’s Bench which held that the intention was immaterial if the matter was obscene. This case set a precedent wherein selected passages from a work could be examined out of context to determine obscenity and if found, the entire work could be removed from public consumption. This standard of obscenity has since been revised in subsequent cases. Two of these important cases are Roth v United States3, in which Mary Dennett, a birth control activist was held accountable in the same manner as Scott was in the Hicklin case, of publishing a booklet that was deemed to be obscene. The Supreme Court however did not find the work to fulfil the criteria of â€Å"depraving and corrupting† the reader of the material, because it essentially constituted sex education which was presented in an acceptable way. Thus, this case established that when an obscene passage is viewed in the context of the entire work which on the whole was presented decently, it would not be classified as obscene. The Court also raised the important issue of protection of the First amendment rights to freedom of speech guaranteed under the United States Constitution, which would have been violated if a decision had been made to ban the work purely on the basis of some passages that some readers found obscene. This case has thus raised two important issues that rose in opposition to the argument in support of a finding of

Feminism and Pop Culture Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Feminism and Pop Culture - Research Paper Example The title of the song speaks well of women’s independence. Females do not always need to depend on men to accomplish their daily tasks. Unlike the old days, womenfolk can be trusted to handle financial issues at home. It is not only the men who can analyze where funds go and how to make worthwhile investments. They have become more open-minded about what they are capable of, as well as braver in trying out the possibilities of their chosen pursuits. By the 20th century, women in many countries had gained the right to vote and advanced their status in politics and education. In the 1980s, there were already women doctors, lawyers, and engineers, though few in number as compared to men. In fact, according to Discovery, â€Å"over half of college graduates are women in 1986†. Many of them also pursued higher education in law, business, and medicine. In fact, the first lines are already poignant regarding how times have changed in treating the so called â€Å"fairer sex†. For instance, in the line, â€Å" so we’re comin’ out of the kitchen†, it means that those days where wives are just locked up at home doing household chores are already history. Indeed, a number of women nowadays are breadwinners along with their husbands. For some, their husbands are the ones in charge of household chores. In a report on comparing women and men’s salaries from 1980 to 1986, it was found out that although men, in general, had higher salaries, women were able to enjoy more frequent promotions and higher percentages of pay increase. (Gerhart and Milkovich 2). It further explained that one of the main causes for their income progress was high performance ratings. However, the reason why many of them could receive promotion was because most were employed in lower levels, thus, making the chances for elevation bi gger. On the other hand, this is related to a recent article which was just published last November 13, 2011, in Mail Online. It says, â€Å"one woman in five now earns more than her husband or boyfriend† (Barrow). The study suggests that the percentage of females having higher salaries as compared to their partners will continue to increase. Though this statistics is based on United Kingdom population, this reflects the worldwide shift that